The Van den Kroonenberg Award 2023 was won by Dr. Merel Boers, co-founder and CEO of UT spinoff Nicolab. The prize goes to entrepreneurs with a UT affiliation who have successfully marketed a start-up. The prize is awarded annually by the Twente University Fund.
The prize was awarded to the UT alumna during the Opening Academic Year of the University of Twente. Boers graduated in 2014 as Technical Medicine on the subject of 'Medical Signalling'. Four years later she obtained her doctorate cum laude with Prof. Slump. Her doctoral research, part of a global study known as the MR CLEAN study, focused on improving stroke care. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), an analysis of CT scans during a stroke was done. This resulted in a major breakthrough in stroke treatment: the AI-advised treatment was twice as effective as any other treatment at the time. Boers and co-researcher Renan Sales Barros recognized the need for an AI solution to revolutionize stroke care and founded Nicolab in 2015 to put this AI-driven method into practice.
NICOLAB
Nicolab, based in Amsterdam, uses AI image recognition technology to focus on rapid and effective care after a stroke. Speed is crucial in a stroke, 40% of patients do not receive proper treatment in time. Based on the MR CLEAN study, they developed 'StrokeViewer'. StrokeViewer not only contains accurate AI algorithms to diagnose stroke patients worldwide, but also drives the decision-making process for prompt treatment. The CT scans are sent from the scanner directly to the 'secure cloud' where a diagnosis is made in a few minutes using AI. This is immediately shared digitally with a team of healthcare professionals for verification. The treatment team is then informed of the hospital where the treatment will take place. This team can prepare and carry out the treatment based on the information received. This results in a much faster and more effective treatment. Patients spend less time in hospital and have more healthy life days on average.
JURY REPORT
Nicolab has grown strongly in the past two years and now has about 60 employees. Hospitals pay for a license and have a return on investment because patients spend less time in hospital. At the moment, three-quarters of the hospitals in the Netherlands have a license and there are about 200 hospitals worldwide connected. A pilot is underway in Belgium to use the technology behind StrokeViewer for the workflow of other time-critical diseases such as heart and lung diseases. Boers has convincingly demonstrated how modern technological solutions can contribute to better and affordable healthcare and health. With Nicolab, Boers subsequently built up a company that was quickly taken up by a large part of the market on the basis of an attractive proposition for hospitals. The jury recognizes that Nicolab, based on the innovative solutions developed by her and at the UT, makes an important contribution to the challenges that exist in the field of healthcare. Merel Boers is a driving force in this as CEO. That makes her the winner of the Van den Kroonenberg Prize 2023.
VAN DEN KROONENBERG PRICE
The Van den Kroonenberg Award for excellent entrepreneurship is intended for an entrepreneur with a clear link with the University of Twente, who has proven himself through good entrepreneurship. This is assessed by a jury of entrepreneurs and UT researchers. The prize is a tribute to the former rector magnificus Harry van den Kroonenberg, who stood at the cradle of the entrepreneurial character of the University of Twente. The prize, which was presented this year for the 39th time on behalf of the Twente University Fund, consists of a cash prize of 4,500 euros and an award, made by Mohana van den Kroonenberg.
VAN DEN KROONENBERG AWARD
The Van den Kroonenberg Award for excellence in entrepreneurship is awarded to entrepreneurs who have a clear connection with the University of Twente and who have proven themselves through good entrepreneurship. The award, which is awarded by a jury consisting of entrepreneurs and UT researchers, is a tribute to former rector magnificus Harry van den Kroonenberg, who played a crucial role in establishing the University of Twente’s entrepreneurial reputation. The Van den Kroonenberg Prize was awarded for the 38th time this year on behalf of the Twente University Fund. The winner received 4,500 euros and a sculpture by Mohana van den Kroonenberg.